Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #9 *Arrest*

[SouthAussie]

I think she thought she'd get away with it, allegedly, by maintaining the story that she bought them. So telling them where to find the leftovers (IMO and allegedly IMO Simon's pasty), would have been in keeping with her not having any knowledge, as opposed to trying to dispose of them elsewhere.

I think getting rid of the dehydrator was panic, because she'd mucked up (allegedly) when she told Ms Cripps she'd bought the mushrooms already dried, not that she'd dried them herself, and that she had rehydrated them. How does the timing of her conversation with Ms Cripps fit with the disposal of the dehydrator, anyone know?

Ms Cripps said Ms Patterson told her she rehydrated the mushrooms, chopped them up and mixed them with other mushrooms she purchased from Woolworths for the beef wellington meal.
https://www.skynews.com.au/australi...ive-coverage/2bc470f3b69325c927ca791a61ed98ae

Erin disposed of the dehydrator at about 11:30am on August 2nd.

She first met with Ms Cripps on the afternoon of August 1st. (She met again with her on Aug 2nd, and spoke with her on the phone on Aug 4th)


Ms Cripps says she first met both of the Patterson children at Monash Children's Hospital on August 1, following the lunch.
She tells the court she also spoke with Erin Patterson for the first time that afternoon.

Juror dismissed in Erin Patterson murder trial — as it happened

Erin Patterson faces three charges of murder in the Latrobe Valley Law Courts. She's accused of killing three relatives by serving them beef Wellington containing poisonous mushrooms. Follow the events as they happened in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

Video showed to the jury detailed Patterson, 50, of nearby Leongatha, rocking up to the Koonwarra tip in her red MG SUV, registration number 1XZ-40Z, about 11.30am on August 2, 2023.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/video-and-pictures-have-been-shown-of-erin-patterson-at-tip-allegedly-disposing-dehydrator/news-story/8d898e53934ca3c2519fa00565afc70f?amp

 

[boomburger]

Clearly not, but how I wonder? She set out to kill 4 people that were older but still fit and healthy otherwise, they die around the same time and can all be linked back to a recent lunch at her house, didn't she foresee a huge investigation?

She used legitimate edible mushrooms in the meals, and then separately mixed dried death caps in another component of the dish (gravy is my guess). She was hoping the place she bought the legitimate mushrooms would be blamed for their deaths imo.

 

[Detechtive]

Right you are. And she also didn’t poison her beloved dog. That would have taken some effort - to keep the food from the dog.


Dogs love left-overs.

Yes, I was pondering this today because prior to today we had heard that the leftovers didn't contain Death Caps. So I was thinking, where would you dispose of them to avoid your dog hunting them down? Even burying them wouldn't be a safe bet....

But now we know that they did contain Death Caps, the only real logical solution (other than flushing or washing down the sink) would be in your wheelie bin, IMO.

She may be bright and well educated as reported, but experience shows that academic smarts do not necessarily coincide with common sense.
I'm really not sure why that is. One would think that an inherent capacity to learn would correlate with the capacity to predict predicable outcomes.

From my experience with very smart people, where there is academic genius there is also a corresponding deficit, and it's usually social and or emotional. Nature has a way of balancing out extremes, IMO.

 

[Detechtive]

She used legitimate edible mushrooms in the meals, and then separately mixed dried death caps in another component of the dish (gravy is my guess). She was hoping the place she bought the legitimate mushrooms would be blamed for their deaths imo.

Today we heard that the gravy didn't contain Death Cap toxins.

 

[Spectrix]

She used legitimate edible mushrooms in the meals, and then separately mixed dried death caps in another component of the dish (gravy is my guess).

Toxicology results confirmed that the amatoxin was in the left over Wellington.

We previously heard that Erin had been mixing dehydrated powdered mushrooms into everything, and we have the Mycologist's testimony that visually, Deathcap mushrooms were not detected in the chopped mushroom duxelles (button mushrooms were). I think she added measured amounts of Deathcap powder to each tainted Wellington.

 

[SouthAussie]

She used legitimate edible mushrooms in the meals, and then separately mixed dried death caps in another component of the dish (gravy is my guess). She was hoping the place she bought the legitimate mushrooms would be blamed for their deaths imo.

The toxins were found in the meat and in the duxelle.


Dr Gerostamoulos said the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine tested meat, pastry and mushroom paste samples from beef Wellington located in Ms Patterson’s bin after the lunch.

In three of four mushroom paste samples no alpha-amanitin or beta-amanitin toxins were found, but in one sample they detected beta-amanitin.

Beta-amanitin toxins were also detected in one meat sample, he said.

In samples supplied of “vegetable matter” located in a dehydrator, Dr Gerostamoulos said both alpha-amanitin and beta-amanitin toxins were detected.

Questioned by Justice Christopher Beale those toxins were “exclusively” found in death cap mushrooms, Dr Gerostamoulos responded; “yes”.

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/erin-patterson-trial-alleged-mushroom-poisoner-was-ill-intensive-care-specialist-tells-court/news-story/2a1417ea5465148399f0c13da4735ad2

 

[Kemug]

There is now no way she can be acquitted!

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Toxicology results confirmed that the amatoxin was in the left over Wellington.

We previously heard that Erin had been mixing dehydrated powdered mushrooms into everything, and we have the Mycologist's testimony that visually, Deathcap mushrooms were not detected in the chopped mushroom duxelles (button mushrooms were). I think she added measured amounts of Deathcap powder to each tainted Wellington.

Interesting....Both leftover residue from Erin Patterson's dehydrator and mushroom paste leftovers from the lunch tested positive for death cap mushroom toxins.

She also refused to let her lunch guests help plate up food and was "reluctant" to allow them to view her pantry, her trial has been told. The claim was made by pastor Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor

 

[SouthAussie]

She knew then it's now a police investigation, so she raced the dehydrator to the tip, telling the police she didn't own one.

The police didn't actually start their investigation until 3rd August. Prior to that it was doctors, health dept, and Ms Cripps.

Erin disposed of the dehydrator the morning prior to the start of the police investigation (2nd Aug).

The only involvement the police had was going to pick up the leftovers from the outside bin. But maybe she thought it was only a matter of time before the police got involved, considering the importance everyone else put on the matter.


August 3
A Victoria Police investigation is launched into the July 29 lunch.

The timeline prosecutors alleged in the mushroom murder trial

Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three people and attempting to murder a fourth. Here's what we know about the case, based on material put to the jury.

www.abc.net.au

Video showed to the jury detailed Patterson, 50, of nearby Leongatha, rocking up to the Koonwarra tip in her red MG SUV, registration number 1XZ-40Z, about 11.30am on August 2, 2023.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/na...ws-story/8d898e53934ca3c2519fa00565afc70f?amp

 

[Spectrix]

and then separately mixed dried death caps in another component of the dish (gravy is my guess).

Today we heard that the gravy didn't contain Death Cap toxins.

So... did the elusive gravy actually exist or not?

Ian reported that he didn't recall gravy being served with the meal.
Erin reported that she used gravy (from a reheatable sachet) but IMO she's a lying liar who lies, and she only mentioned gravy while she was lying to the child welfare officer about the origins of the meal ingredients.

We also know that the recipe she used had red wine sauce, rather than gravy.

 

[Spectrix]

She also refused to let her lunch guests help plate up food and was "reluctant" to allow them to view her pantry, her trial has been told. The claim was made by pastor Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor

I can see why she didn't want help plating up food since she needed to make sure the poisoned Wellingtons went to the intended recipients, but not wanting them to look in the butler's pantry is interesting. Perhaps the dehydrator was sitting proudly inside, awaiting it's services being required for the next potential victims, and she didn't want any questions about what it was used for?

 

[Ellery84]

She used legitimate edible mushrooms in the meals, and then separately mixed dried death caps in another component of the dish (gravy is my guess). She was hoping the place she bought the legitimate mushrooms would be blamed for their deaths imo.

No, the gravy was fine. Death caps were in the paste that was in the beef Wellington’s (but not in her portion, obs.)

 

[Monstradamus]

I am thinking of Erin's messages to her online friends - the ones where she wrote how she had employed a cleaner, but not told Simon. And how he didn't help around the house. On and on complaining and blaming. At the time he was working fulltime as an engineer, or whatever he is, and she was a "stay at home" mother (with both children in school). So what did she do all day? Apart from complaining online. I think she was the lazy one, not him. Did she ever not complain about anyone?

I think she spent a lot of time online, in true crime groups and chatting to "friends" to fill her time.

 

[Detechtive]

So... did the elusive gravy actually exist or not?

Ian reported that he didn't recall gravy being served with the meal.
Erin reported that she used gravy (from a reheatable sachet) but IMO she's a lying liar who lies, and she only mentioned gravy while she was lying to the child welfare officer about the origins of the meal ingredients.

We also know that the recipe she used had red wine sauce, rather than gravy.

Yes today the toxicologist said they tested a jug of brown liquid which looked like gravy. But we really don't know if that was part of the meal. Maybe it was just sitting in her fridge.... who knows!

 

[Spectrix]

Yes today the toxicologist said they tested a jug of brown liquid which looked like gravy.

Maybe that's what came out of her when she removed the "plug".

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I can see why she didn't want help plating up food since she needed to make sure the poisoned Wellingtons went to the intended recipients, but not wanting them to look in the butler's pantry is interesting. Perhaps the dehydrator was sitting proudly inside, awaiting it's services being required for the next potential victims, and she didn't want any questions about what it was used for?

Probably a pantry like Master Chef, except full of mushroom powders in containers and goodness knows what other interesting finds in there

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Maybe that's what came out of her when she removed the "plug".

Again, where's the laughing emoji when you need it?

 

[Detechtive]

Maybe that's what came out of her when she removed the "plug".

I think you mean 'cork'

 

[tillytatler]

Wonder who taste-tested them???

I can't provide citations here because I read it years ago, but - as a forager - I have read accounts in the past that people who had accidentally ingested death caps had said it was the most delicious mushroom they had ever had. The forbidden mushie!

 

[Ellery84]

Okay, "allegedly poison them". Not sure when that word is needed since I'm in the US. Is is okay when the trial is underway to not have to use it?

We are under sub judice on this case right now. The rules around this are at the beginning of the thread.